As you know I like to look at the obscure and rarely covered military technology so here are a couple of interesting videos to set the scene for some future posts
Contents
3 Generations of Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicles
Sherman BARV
Centurion BRV
Hippo BARV/BRV (Based on a Leopard 1A5 and converted by Hagglunds at a cost of £1.25million each)
There are 4 Hippos are currently in service, used to push landing craft that have become beached and clear vehicle landing lanes. After 4 decades they replaced the CeBRV in 2004. With an all up weight of about 50 tonnes it can operate in up to 2.95m of water and recover vehicles up to the Challenger and a fully loaded DROPS plus trailer. Albion and Bulwark had one each and the other two were used for training with 11(Amphibious Trials and Training (11 ATT)) Squadron Royal Marines and as a war reserve.
Obviously, we will have one spare now.
Unusual Engineering Plant
I thought these were pretty interesting and demonstrate different methods of achieving extreme mobility.
Walking Excavators from Terex and Menzi
Articulated Forestry Vehicles
I have included these because they demonstrate the use of over wheel tracks for extreme mobility
And a rather funky walking machine
Hovertrack
Faun Trackway
Class 30 and Class 70 trackway (Medium and Heavy) from Faun in Anglesey has been in service with the British Army for decades and has its roots in the Churchill Bobbin used during the D Day landings
Faun also make a number of runway repair, helicopter and aircraft matting systems
I will be covering these subjects in a bit more detail in the future
Some (ahem) ‘interesting’ track-related means of locomotion cane be seen here: http://www.unusuallocomotion.com/rubrique,pneumatic-tracks,1105021.html
I’d love to know a) where you find all this stuff, b) how long it takes to find it all!
Good though. Impressive engineering!
had to stop watching after the sherman vid as the site needed a damn good dusting (it’s why my eyes were all watery)!!
I do believe they make the ORCs for the marines on anglesey as well, not bad for druids (not racist as it was druid HQ in roman times and i’m welsh anyway).
I suggested this crane for helicopter services but as i was in my last 6 months i think it went into file 13. but it’s awesome fits through a normal house door!
note they are deisel?electric not just propane and have neat remote control no more shouting directions at the operator
If i mention the word cvf does anyone think this one will get going
Hugh, thanks for that link, cracking stuff
Paul, what a great looking bit of kit
@TD
I understand your comment
I’m still not convinced that these track systems can endure, I think they are fine for a short period and for limited traffic but I question whether they can withstand the pressure of full scale ops especially a true amphibious assault which builds to a sustained level.
Even for a week or so of heavy armour manoeuvring and engagements I don’t think the current systems are adequate, getting a stream of containers from ship to shore at a realistic drumbeat needs either a secure bed for the road way or a better way of distributing the load.
For my money the track ways need an additional technology such as ? injecting cement into the substrate or a piling technology.
RE vehicles the impression I’m getting is that extreme wheeled ability is related to the split layout that we know in warthog and Viking but with large low pressure tyres, which means that the 15 ton mid range vehicle discussed in other contexts should look to this configuration and for some commonality with tracked types of the same configuration.
Which may suggest that the cross over from wheels to tracks (fighting vehicles) happens at a weight less than current IFV APC types (15 tons) and in a dual/ split formation where the focus of research should go.
The question that then seems obvious is do we look at a mix with one segment using wheels and one tracks, sounds daft I know (because you have the worst of both) but I wonder if the weight distribution and transmissions could be optimised around a combination of a power unit with wheels and a cargo unit (heavier) with tracks. Maybe it’s the other way round- a CVR(T) type rubber tracked unit for the front pulling a wheeled cargo unit behind.
I think this brings up a lot of options for innovation in the use of electric power and motors in different layouts and with sophisticated management systems to keep it all together, and going in the right direction.
I will make a CVF comment but in another post!!
Does anyone think those Menzi and Terex articulated excavators would make a rather nifty counter IED vehicle
I wrote about that hovertrack truck video a while ago as well, but the idea has been in use during the 30′s and 40′s and appears to have lost against CTIS. The Hovertrack system has a lower MMP than the old systems thanks to the added wheels, but those also add weight, parts that can break, maintenance requirements and cost.
Here’s a British example of a convertible 6×4/half-track vehicle from the 1930′s (the Russian BA-10 is another one), scanned from Guderian’s book iirc:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/801/img196y.jpg/
Sven, been reading about a few older vehicles and convertible track/wheeled vehicles seemed to be all the rage in the thirties.
I wonder if with modern materials they might enjoy a resurgence
Can you give us the link to when you covered the Hovertrack